Locking mechanism.



P. STOKES.

LOOKING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 17, 1909.

1,007,251. Patented 0011.31, 1911.

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UNTTD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PERCY STOKES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO SAMUEL L. ALLEN,

' OF MOOBESTOWN, NEW JERSEY.

LOCKING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY SToKEs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Looking Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates particularly to improvements in locking mechanism adapted to be used in cultivator-s of the expansible type, and the main objects of this invention are to provide an improved locking mechanism which may be quickly and conveniently operated by the movement of a single handle bar or actuating member, and to provide other improvements as will appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a locking mechanism constructed in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2 a top plan view of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 a longitudinal vertical section of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, one embodiment of this invention comprises a central beam 1, a handle bar or actuating member 10, a slider actuated by the bar and self looking means for locking the slider to the central beam 1.

The actuating handle bar 10 of the looking device is bifurcated and intermediate of its ends is pivoted by a bolt 11 between the forward ends of a pair of parallel links 12, the rear ends of which are pivoted by a bolt 13 to an upwardly and forwardly curved extension 14: of the rear end of the central beam 1, the upper end of the handle bar forming a handle for the operation of the locking device. The lower ends of the handle bar embrace and are loosely connected to the box or slider upon the central beam 1. The box or slider, which is loosely mounted upon the central beam 1 comprises a forward sleeve 15, a rear sleeve 16, and a top plate 17 and a bottom plate 18 connectof a single strip of metal folded loosely around the beam 1 and around the ends of the upper and lower plates 17 and 18 of the slider, the sleeve and the ends of the plates being rigidly secured together by means of rivets 19 and 20. The rear sleeve 16 is comand side plates 23 and 24c. The top and bottom plates of the rear sleeve project laterally beyond the sides of the beam 1 of the frame and the side plates of the sleeve are flanged outwardly at each end and are secured to the top and bottom plates by means of the rivets 25 which pass through the flanges of the side plates and through the top and bottom plates. This rear sleeve fits over the top and bottom plates 17 and 18 of the box or slider and is secured thereto by suitable rivets 26 or other means. The side edges of the top and bottom plates of the box are substantially flush with the sides of the central beam 1 except two opposite portions 27 and 28 of the plates which are broader than the remaining portions of the plates to form a housing for the locking means of the box.

For locking the box or slider at any point of its path upon the beam 1 a pair of cant plates 30 and 31 are provided surrounding the beam 1 between the top and bottom plates of the box or slider. These cant plates are provided with reduced extensions 32 and 33 upon their upper ends which engage in recesses or seats provided therefor in the under surface of the broadened portion of the upper plate of the box, this portion of the plate being substantially parallel to the upper edge of the beam 1 but spaced therefrom to receive the cant plates. The cant plates converge downwardly and extend loosely through an aperture 34: provided therefor in the lower plate of the slider. The lower ends of the cant plates are substantially parallel and loosely engage the forward and rear sides respectively of a transverse-bolt or rivet35 which passes through the lower ends of the actuating lever 10 and loosely through oblong apertures 36 in the downwardly flanged sides 37 of the bottom plate of the box, the ends of the actuating lever embracing said flanges and each of said flanges being provided with anupwardly extending portion 1 38 formed by bending upwardly the maing said sleeves. The sleeve 15 is composed terial removed to form the said opening in 2 the bottom plate to receive the cant plates. A spring 40 made of flat steel or other suitposed of a top plate 21, a bottom plate 22 able material is secured to the upper surface of the broadened surface of the upper plate of the slider by means of a bolt 11. This spring has downwardly depending ends 42 each of which is bifurcated and which embrace respectively the narrower portions of the upper plate and the sides of the central beam 1, and engage at their extremities with the lower extremities of the cant plates respectively and tend to press the lower ends of the cant plates toward each other to hold the cant plates in looking engagement. Each cant plate is provided with an oblong aperture 4L5 for receiving the beam 1 and having square edges 46 which are normally held in looking engagement with the upper and lower edges of the beam 1 by means of the ends of the spring 40. Nith this construction in mind it is evident that when the actuating handle bar 10 is left free and inoperative, the box or slider will be looked against movement upon the beam 1 in one direction by means of one of the cant plates and will be locked against movement in the opposite direction by the other cant plate, each cant plate loek ing the slider against movement only in one direction. When the actuating handle bar 10 is moved either forwardly or rearwardly the lower end of the handle bar will move in the opposite direction and the bolt 35 carried thereby will engage against the lower end of one of the cant plates to unlock the same and to move the same against the action of its spring until the spring reaches the limit of its movement, whereupon any further movement of the handle bar in the same direction will be communicated to the slider and move the same accordingly.

The slider upon the frame beam 1 may be connected to the pivoted tool arms of a cultivator by means of a pair of links 50, the inner ends of which are pivotally connected. to the flanges upon the rear end of the slider by means of bolts 51 and the outer ends of which are pivotally connected to the free ends of the tool arms by any suitable means. The tool arms are thus held normally in locked position through the action of the cant plates of the slider but are at all times under the control of the actuating handle bar 10 the movement of which in one direction swings the tool bars outwardly and the movement of which in the opposite direction swings the bars inwardly.

Although only one form has been described in which this invention may be embodied, various changes might be made in the construction herein shown without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent of the United States,-

1. The combination with a fixed member, of a slider mounted thereon comprising a top plate, a bottom plate, means rigidly connecting said plates, a pair of locking plates movably supported between said top plate and said bottom plate, yielding means for holding said locking plates in engagement with said fixed member, and an actuating member arranged to shift said slider in either direction by engaging one or the other of said locking plates with its free end, to unlock the same and to move said slider, thereafter in the direction desired, determined by the plate engaged.

2. The combination with a fixed member, of a slider detachably mounted to slide thereon comprising a top plate, a bottom plate, means rigidly connecting said plates, a pair of locking plates movably supported between said top plate and said bottom plate, yielding means for holding said locking plates in engagement with said fixed member, and an actuating member arranged to shift said slider in either direction by engaging one or the other of said locking plates to unlock the same and to move said slider through the action of said locking plate.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of February, A. D.,

PERCY STOKES. Witnesses A. I. GARDNER, ALEXANDER PARK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

Correct It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent N 0. 1,007 ,251, granted October 31, 1911,

upon the application of Percy Stokes, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for an improvement in Looking Mechanism, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 72, strike out the Word thereafteh; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 28th day of November, A. D., 1911.

E. B. MOORE,

Commissioner of Patents.

[SEAL. 

